


comes up and bangs the sense out of me

by kogaritsu



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Drunken Kissing, M/M, all fluff, i also wrote this drunk so itll need fizing probably, little reikao week pregame, rating it t for now but since its about alcohol it might get bumped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:53:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27225343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kogaritsu/pseuds/kogaritsu
Summary: “Kaoru-kun, we dance for a living. Next you’ll take me to a karaoke bar because you have a desperate need to sing.” It was so easy to make fun of him, and much too fun.Kaoru rolled his eyes, chewing on his straw and tapping his fingernails on the table while he thought. “I really wanted to dance. With you.”
Relationships: Hakaze Kaoru/Sakuma Rei
Comments: 13
Kudos: 61





	comes up and bangs the sense out of me

**Author's Note:**

> alternate title "nothing else burns like you"
> 
> im torturing the dorm couch again 2 fics in a row sorry guys

When UNDEAD broke their previous record of album sales, it was only natural for a celebration to be held. They went to a barbecue place and ate way more than their managers would suggest, and it was one of the most satisfying nights of Rei’s life. Nothing else could measure up to sitting with a handful of his best friends, celebrating their shared success. There was nothing wrong, nothing to fear. There was nothing he could do but enjoy himself.

“D’you think we’re gunna get some kinda celebration at work?” Koga asked, wiping his mouth and accidentally smearing sauce up his cheek. 

Kaoru leaned across the table to clean his face, “I dunno, maybe? Rei-kun was saying something about Rhythm Link putting us up on the wall again.” He settled back where he was originally sitting, hand resting on Rei’s knee like it belonged there. “I wonder if anyone else knows yet, since it’s not exactly public information.”

“Kanzaki congratulated me this afternoon.” Adonis held out a morsel for Koga to eat, hand hovering underneath to catch any dripping sauce. 

Koga ate it almost blindly, smiling with pinched eyes to thank Adonis while he was chewing. Adonis returned his smile, turning back to his own meal. Poorly hidden under the edge of the table, their fingers were interlocked. Rei’s heart squeezed fondly in his chest, and he smiled into his drink. 

“Yes, yes, Keito-kun cornered me this morning to give his love.” He smiled upon the memory, even though the back of his head was still sore from the beating it took. 

“Shit, s‘that mean Shiira already knows? I was lookin’ forward to tellin’ him before it got out to the public.” Koga looked genuinely crestfallen by the thought, so Rei decided to tell a little white lie. 

“Oh I doubt it, he was already off to practice with that roommate of yours.” He waved dismissively, “I have no doubt he’ll be excited to hear the news from you.”

The rest of dinner went smoothly. One of their songs played on the radio, much to their amusement, and Kaoru sang along between stolen sips of Rei’s drink. When the time came, they all argued over who would foot the bill; Rei used his power as their leader to pay first, smug when they all paid him their thanks. He promised that next time it would be someone else’s turn to pay, knowing that he would pretend to forget ever saying it when that next time came. 

Koga and Adonis left first, prompted to go by messages from their respective roommates. Rei and Kaoru weren’t far behind, decidedly taking the scenic route home on the account of being adults with no curfew. It was getting cold, streetlights frosted and grass blades tipped white. As they walked, Kaoru caught Rei’s hand, tugging him off their path and toward a fluorescently lit building they were in danger of passing by. Music poured out into the street, only slightly entrancing. 

“Oh? Does Kaoru-kun want to visit a bar?” Rei teased, following his lead without a fight. “I didn’t take this to be your scene.”

Kaoru was flushed from the cold, hiding in the neck of his sweater from what seemed to be embarrassment. He shook his head, and Rei let it rest, not bothering to let go of his hand as they approached the door of the bar. As two people of reasonable popularity, it wasn’t a surprise when they quickly were waved inside. 

There was a long bar top lined with stools along one wall and a wide area presumably cleared for patrons to dance if they so desired. Instead of worrying about either right off the bat, Rei escorted Kaoru to the cleanest table he could find. Cleanest table or not, it still felt like the wrong place to leave him while buying drinks, but it would have to do. Assuming that Kaoru had come to drink, he approached the counter without hesitation, feeling very well informed on what alcohol was enjoyable.

Rei, more of a home drinker than a bar crawler, was very out of his element trying to figure out just what every named drink was. There wasn’t a single type of alcohol listed on the tiny menu, just oddly named beverages, and the clock was ticking. In the end, he took two swirling pink drinks back to their table, announcing that they were ‘Zippers’ and ignored Kaoru asking what was in them. He wished he knew.

“So,” Rei sipped his drink, humming at the tartness and deciding he’d guessed well, “Why are we here?”

Kaoru sipped his own drink, cheeks still soft pink in the artificial light, “I really wanted to dance, that’s all.”

“Kaoru-kun, we dance for a living. Next you’ll take me to a karaoke bar because you have a desperate need to sing.” It was so easy to make fun of him, and much too fun.

Kaoru rolled his eyes, chewing on his straw and tapping his fingernails on the table while he thought. “I really wanted to dance. With you.” 

“Oh.” Was all Rei could think to say, sucking down more of his Zipper and watching Kaoru shed his coat and drape it over the back of his chair. His flush had traveled past his face and to what little of his neck was visible. Rei wondered if his skin was as warm as it looked. 

They drank in peaceful silence, receiving new drinks from a table of girls that’d been waving and giggling at them since they came in. Kaoru waved and giggled back, feet overlapping Rei’s under the table and hand just out of reach. He thought about reaching out and grabbing it, of sharing sweaty palms and picking at Kaoru’s chipped nail polish. The music playing over the speakers was atrocious, fast paced with no real composition, and Rei was tempted to request something-anything else. 

Kaoru hummed along to the horrible song, though, so maybe it wasn’t as bad as Rei originally thought. They watched their fellow patrons come and go, watched them dance poorly on the makeshift dance floor, watched them be free and happy. Rei had trouble focusing, distracted by Kaoru’s foot dragging up and down his calf under their table, as if no one could see them. Then again, they didn’t seem to be recognized at all, reduced to normal people drinking away any old Tuesday. It felt good.

“Kaoru-kun.” Rei ignored how dry his throat was, even though he’d been wetting it a little too quickly. “Come dance with me.”

Kaoru’s hands were warm in his, so soft they caught on violin calluses when Rei pulled him to his feet. The song changed to something palatable, and they made their own space on the floor. When Rei went to grip Kaoru’s sides, his hands were guided higher to rest over his shoulders instead. Kaoru’s own hands made themselves at home on Rei’s hips, swaying him to the generic (but preferable) pop music swallowing them up.

“Rei-kun takes such good care of me… of UNDEAD.” Kaoru’s thumbs hooked in Rei’s belt loops, coaxing him closer, “It’s my turn to take care of you.”

Rei’s tongue felt like it was made of lead, arms tightening around Kaoru’s neck to combat his newfound dizziness that had nothing to do with the alcohol, “It’s my… It’s my job to take care of UNDEAD. And you. I like to take care of you.” It was nothing like the flowery language he preferred to use, but every word was wrenched from his mouth like it was cemented there.

Kaoru laughed, high and soft, spinning Rei in slow circles that didn’t quite fit the pace of anything around them. Drunk on the feeling of being swept off his feet, Rei held on, only letting go to occasionally smooth hair out of his face. Maybe he mumbled something about Kaoru being too pretty to hide behind all that hair, maybe he didn’t. If he did, no one else heard. If he did, maybe Kaoru’s eyes softened an illegal amount, pretty amber sparkling in the manufactured lighting. 

Their faces were close enough to touch, breaths intermingling between them when Kaoru sighed, “Let’s go home.” 

Rei nodded so hard, their foreheads knocked together.

\---

There were risks associated with both of their dorm rooms: if they went to Kaoru’s, there was a risk of Yuuta seeing them, and if they went to Rei’s, there was a risk of either of his roommates seeing them. The compromise was collapsing on the Starmony Dorm couch, Kaoru’s hair fanned against the gaudy cushions and Rei’s knees bumping the wooden frame where he kneeled. They didn’t even think about the lights, they wouldn’t be necessary. 

“You with me, Rei-kun?” Kaoru’s hands were gentle on his cheeks, thumbs stroking along his lower lashes. His eyelids drooped slightly, mouth tugged up in a loving smile, “Talk to me, pretty boy.” 

“Just enjoying the view.” Rei smiled back, ignoring how hot his face felt. “And what a luxurious view it is… I can’t help but feel a bit jealous we were split up. Seeing you every morning would be a blessing this old vampire doesn’t deserve.”

“Shut up.” Kaoru laughed, using all of his surfing strength to sit up from his place underneath Rei. His warm hands eased Rei to sit on his lap instead, scooting both of them back to sit against the armrest. 

“Mmmm…” Rei adjusted himself for comfort, licking his lips and eying the slope of Kaoru’s throat, “Maybe Kaoru-kun should make me shut up, hm? I think he would reap wonderful results, what do you think?” 

Fingers twisting into Rei’s hair, Kaoru tipped his head up to close the meager space between their mouths. His mouth was soft and forgiving, and it tasted sharply of liquor and salt. Rei nearly groaned at the taste, cataloguing it for future reference and pushing down to meet his pressure halfway. When a door opened down the hall, his free hand tightened possessively against Rei’s hip, fingernails digging lightly into the denim of his jeans. That time, Rei did make a sound, separating their mouths with a wistful murmur. 

When Kaoru opened his mouth to whisper, Rei stopped him, kissing him with little regard for technique or skill. It had the desired effect, judging by the blunt teeth nipping at his lips as soon as the door behind them shut again. His hands framed Kaoru’s jaw, supporting it when his tongue pried inside to taste him some more. Before he even realized what was happening, Rei’s shirt was untucked from his jeans, and Kaoru’s hand was a hot brand on his bare back. 

Goosebumps rose all over his body, and he gave an involuntary shiver against Kaoru’s body. The breathless way that Kaoru giggled, satisfied and excited, made something in Rei’s gut twist pleasantly. Nails scraped down his ribs, and he gasped against Kaoru’s mouth, back arching away from the sensation. In retaliation, Rei dipped to kiss his neck, sucking on the skin until it darkened under his mouth. 

The urge to bite down was palpable, overbearing even, but Rei did his best to behave. If he played his cards right, maybe he’d have another chance to sink his teeth into Kaoru. Fingers traced his spine, all the way down to his tailbone and back up, if only to keep the chills he couldn’t get rid of. They seemed to be quite evenly matched, perfect for pushing one another’s buttons. Another door opened and shut behind them, not that either of them cared much. 

“Having fun?” Kaoru asked, breath catching every time Rei’s teeth dragged against the sensitive skin of his neck. 

“Hm?” Rei hadn’t really been listening, too taken with the way Kaoru’s skin bruised like that of a summer peach. His neck was blotchy with a rainbow of broken blood vessels singing their praises. 

“Doesn’t matter. Come back up here.” As he said it, Kaoru pulled Rei up with gentle tugs on his hair, crushing their mouths together again like he couldn’t get enough of the feeling. “I like kissing you.” He mumbled, barely audible on account of refusing to separate their mouths completely, “We should do this more.”

“You think so?” Rei pulled back so he could glance over the back of the couch, kissing along Kaoru’s jaw. “You know what I think?” He nipped at his earlobe, sucking another love bite behind his ear, easily hidden by his hair. 

“What do you think?” Kaoru stroked his hair, scratching his scalp like he was a stray cat being coaxed inside. 

“I think we should go back to my room.” Rei sat back, fingers laced behind Kaoru’s neck, “Because it’s getting late. I’d hate to let anyone else see you like this… You’ll forgive me for being greedy, won’t you? Kaoru-kun is a delicacy.”

Kaoru laughed, shoulders shaking with it, “Sure, Rei-kun. Been dying to get out of these jeans, anyway.” 

They, somehow, managed to get up from the couch with no casualties, fixing their clothes with the knowledge that it wouldn’t matter once they were in Rei’s dorm room. In their hurry out of the common area and down the hall, they sped right past a blue-eyed voyeur, giggling the whole way. If the shutting door didn’t wake Rei’s roommates, what came after surely did.

**Author's Note:**

> wrote this at like 2:30 am right after seeing kaorus unit event 4* unbloomed and i think you all agree with me


End file.
